Solstice is gotten from the Latin word 'solstitium'. 'sol' means the sun and 'sistere' means 'to cause to stand or stand still'. From an astronomical point of view, this translation makes sense because this term is used to describe that particular instance when the sun attains its maximum northern point or maximum southern point from the equator of the earth.
When the sun attains northernmost point from the equator, summer solstice occurs and consequently causing the Earth to experience the longest day of the year. Similarly, when the sun attains its southernmost point from the equator, the Earth's proximity to the sun is at its closest and thereby making the Earth to experience the shortest day of the year. Astronomically, this is known as the winter solstice
